Reflexions: Design Thinking for Educators

Process

DISCOVERY

I have a challenge.
How do I approach it?

Discovery builds a solid foundation for ideas.
Creating meaningful solutions for people begins with a deep understanding for their needs. Discovery means opening up to new opportunities, and getting inspired for new ideas.

INTERPRETATION

I learned something.
How do I interpret it?

Interpretation transforms stories to meaningful insights. Observations, field visits, or just a simple conversation can be great inspiration—but finding meaning in that and turning it into actionable opportunities for design is not an easy task. It involves storytelling, sorting and condensing thoughts, until a compelling point of view and clear direction for ideation emerge.

IDEATION

I see an opportunity.
What do I create?

Ideation means generating lots of ideas. Brainstorming encourages expansive thinking without constraints. Often it’s the wild ideas that spark the thought for something visionary. With careful preparation and a set of rules to follow, a brainstorm session can yield hundreds of fresh ideas.

EXPERIMENTATION

I have an idea.
How do I build it?

Experimentation brings ideas to life. Building prototypes means making ideas tangible, learning while building them, and sharing them with other people. Even early and rough prototypes can evoke a direct response and help learn how to further improve and refine an idea.

EVOLUTION

I tried something.
How do I evolve it?

Evolution is the development of a concept over time. It involves planning next steps, communicating the idea to people who can help realize it, and documenting the process. Change often happens
over time, and reminders of even subtle signs of progress are important.

The design process is what puts Design Thinking into action. It’s a structured approach to generating and developing ideas.

The Design Thinking Toolkit for Educators, available as a free download here, provides guidance through the five phases of the design process. It outlines a sequence of steps that leads from defining a challenge to building a solution. The toolkit offers a variety of instructional methods to choose from, including concise explanations, useful suggestions and tips.